Method and system for one-touch fueling authorization

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a method and a cloud-assisted fueling system for one-touch fueling authorization are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

Current fueling methods require customers to conduct a multitude ofsteps to complete the task of fueling a vehicle at a gas station. Forexample, when a customer arrives at a pump at a gas station, thecustomer must retrieve his/her payment card, exit the vehicle, swipe thepayment card, verify any loyalty/reward membership, select whether thepayment card is debit or credit, enter payment card security informationon a keypad, wait for authorization, choose to use any availablerewards, and select a fuel grade; all before being able to pump fuelinto the fuel tank. Moreover, when fueling is finished, the customermust select ‘yes” for a receipt, and wait for a receipt to be printed;or as often occurs, “see the cashier” if a receipt is desired.

The time it takes to complete the steps needed in order to begin pumpingfuel is about 1 to 1.5 minutes. The time waiting for or obtaining areceipt is in addition to the 1 to 1.5 minutes. Thus, there is a need toreduce the total amount of time a customer spends fueling a vehicle.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of a method and a cloud-assisted fueling system forone-touch fueling authorization are disclosed.

The method for fueling at a gas station can include receiving, by acloud computing system, an authorization message for fueling a vehiclefrom a device of a customer, wherein the authorization message containsa customer identifier unique to the customer, a payment token unique toa payment card or a payment account of the customer and unique to thedevice, a gas station identifier, and a fuel pump identifier; sending,by the cloud computing system, a pre-authorization message to a paymentprovider, wherein the pre-authorization message contains the paymenttoken; receiving, by the cloud computing system, a pre-authorizationconfirmation message from the payment provider, wherein thepre-authorization confirmation contains an authorization to use thepayment card or the payment account of the customer for payment of thefueling; sending, by the cloud computing system, a fuel authorizationrequest message to an on-site computer at the gas station via a gateway,wherein the fuel authorization request message contains the customeridentifier, the gas station identifier, the fuel pump identifier, and anauthorization to pump fuel at a fuel pump at the gas stationcorresponding to the pump identifier; and in response to receiving thefuel authorization request message, pumping fuel at the fuel pump.

The cloud-assisted fueling system can include a cloud computing system,wherein the cloud computing system is networked to an on-site computerlocated at a gas station via a gateway, wherein the cloud computingsystem is configured to: receive an authorization message for fueling avehicle from a device of a customer, wherein the authorization messagecontains a customer identifier unique to the customer, a payment tokenunique to a payment card or a payment account of the customer and uniqueto the device, a gas station identifier, and a fuel pump identifier;send a pre-authorization message to a payment provider, wherein thepre-authorization message contains the payment token; receive apre-authorization confirmation message from the payment provider,wherein the pre-authorization confirmation contains an authorization touse the payment card or the payment account of the customer for paymentof the fueling; and send a fuel authorization request message to theon-site computer via the gateway, wherein the fuel authorization requestmessage contains the customer identifier, the gas station identifier,the fuel pump identifier, and an authorization to pump fuel at a fuelpump corresponding to the pump identifier;

These and other features will be more clearly understood from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, referenceis now made to the following brief description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein likereference numerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 is schematic diagram of a conventional fueling system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the disclosed fueling system.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are screenshots from a customer's device, illustratingthe fueling method from the customer's perspective.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, thedisclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number oftechniques, whether currently known or not yet in existence. Thedisclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrativeimplementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may bemodified within the scope of the appended claims along with their fullscope of equivalents.

The disclosed embodiments of the fueling method and system shift certainaspects of data input and processing for fueling a vehicle from a gasstation to the cloud. The interaction between the customer and fuel pumpis changed from an interface at the fuel pump to a customer's device anda cloud computing system. For example, communication technology todetermine loyalty status of a customer at the fuel pump is changed fromgas station-based serial communications between the fuel pumps and theloyalty app server, to on-demand network access to a shared pool ofconfigurable computing resources (e.g., a cloud computing system cancommunicate with a customer's smartphone and an on-site computer at thegas station). Moreover, the communication technology to pay for the fuelis changed from a POS controller/BASE24 payment switch devicecombination to a cloud-based fuel application which utilizes onlinepayment solutions via the disclosed payment provider.

By changing technology in one or more of the aspects above, vehiclefueling is improved because faster processing time is achieved using acombination of computing components disclosed herein. Further, thechange in technology offered by the embodiments of the disclosed systemand method reduce data load and data communications traffic on systemcomponents (e.g., the POS controller and loyalty app server, discussedbelow), which results in a fueling method and system which is fasterthan conventional methods and systems. These improvements are magnifiedwhen operating the system and method for hundreds if not thousands offuel pumps at the same time, such as is the case for merchants of fuel,including grocery merchants who have gas stations in tandem with thegrocery store.

The faster processing speed, reduced data load, and reduced traffic alsoresult in a reduced amount of time a customer spends fueling a vehicle.Further, embodiments of the system and method need only one input fromthe customer (i.e., “one-touch technology”) to authorize fueling. Forexample, and described in more detail below, embodiments of thedisclosed system and method can operate such that the customer ispresented with one request for input on the customer's device as towhether fueling should be authorized at the fuel pump, instead ofmultiple inputs at the fuel pump itself.

Another improvement provided by the embodiments of the disclosed systemand method is that the gas station can provide both conventional and thedisclosed techniques to a customer for refueling their vehicle. That is,the customer can choose whether to process payment according to themethod shown in FIG. 1 or the method shown in FIG. 2. Or, afterattempting to use the faster method of FIG. 2, a customer whoexperiences a problem can attempt to use the method of FIG. 1.

As used herein, the term “beacon” refers to a device which emits adirectional signal using short range communication technology, such asBluetooth or Near Field Communication (NFC). An example of such deviceis the a Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) Beacon manufactured by Footmarks®.

As used herein, the term “cloud”, “cloud computing system”,“cloud-based”, and like terms refer to the hardware and softwarecomputing components which operate in cloud computing. The definitionfor “cloud computing” as set forth by the National Institute ofStandards and Technology for the U.S. Department of Commerce includes amodel for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to ashared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks,servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidlyprovisioned and released with minimal management effort or serviceprovider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essentialcharacteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.

As used herein, the term “device of the customer” refers to a mobilephone (e.g., smartphone), tablet, on-board computer in the vehicle, orother device, which has short range communication technology, such asBluetooth or Near Field Communication (NFC). The “device of thecustomer” has processing and data storage capability for running theone-touch fueling authorization application.

As used herein, the term “gateway” refers to hardware and/or softwarewhich has a physical, virtual, cloud, Linux, or Docker form factor. Insome embodiments, the gateway is cloud-based, and in furtherembodiments, the cloud-based gateway can be a part of the cloudcomputing system. An example of a gateway suitable for use with thedisclosure is the IBM® DATAPOWER® Gateway.

As used herein, the term “payment provider” refers to the hardware andsoftware computing components which function to provide paymentprocessing for cloud-based computing systems. An example of such aprovider includes the payment processing solutions provided byFIRSTDATA®.

As used herein, the term “on-site computer” is a computer device havingcomputer components which is local to the gas station. The “on-sitecomputer” has the ability to process data, send/receive data, andnetwork with the gateway, POS controller, and pump controller(s), via atleast two different network communication technologies.

For clarity, the conventional and disclosed methods and systems will bedescribed using a scenario where a single customer arrives at a gasstation for fueling a vehicle, for clarity. However, it should beunderstood that the methods and systems simultaneously handle largenumbers of customer interactions for fueling vehicles at the many fuelpumps administered by a merchant.

A conventional fueling system 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The conventionalsystem 100 includes a fuel pump 110, a point of sale (POS) controller120, a loyalty app server 130, a BASE24 payment switch 140, a masterrewards server 150, and payment entities 160. The components of thesystem 100 are linked or networked with at least one other component asshown in FIG. 1: the fuel pump 110 is networked the POS controller 120;the POS controller 120 is additionally networked with the loyalty appserver 130 and with the BASE24 payment switch 140; the loyalty appserver 130 is additionally networked with the master rewards server 150;and the BASE24 payment switch 140 is additionally networked with thepayment entities 160. Each of the components 110, 120, 130, 140, 150,and 160 of the conventional system 100 can be embodied with computerequipment such as one or more processors, memory, networking cards, andother equipment for processing data (e.g., sending/receiving messagescontaining data) associated with fueling vehicles at the merchantpremises 101.

Most of the components of the conventional system 100 (e.g., components110, 120, 130, and 140) are located on-site at a merchant's merchantpremises 101. The merchant premises 101 can be those typically knownwhich have fuel pumps numbered from 1 to N, where N is the total numberof fuel pumps at the merchant premises 101. The fuel pumps are eachfluidly connected to a fuel reservoir for each grade or type of fuelthat can be administered to a vehicle at the fuel pumps. Each fuel pump,e.g., fuel pump 110, has a nozzle which mates with a port on the vehiclefor fueling the vehicle. Each fuel pump also can have buttons to selectthe fuel grade or type of fuel to be administered and a customerinterface (explained in more detail below) for paying for the fuel. Thefuel pumps can be located under a roofing structure which protects thefuel pumps and customers from weather. Each fuel pump, including fuelpump 110, is networked with the POS controller 120. Thus, in theconventional system 100, the POS controller 120, the loyalty app server130, and the BASE24 payment switch 140 each perform their respectivefunctions for each of the number (N) of fuel pumps at the merchantpremises 101.

The master rewards server 150 can be located off-site at a centrallocation for centralized tracking of loyalty member fuel pointsaccumulated or redeemed at a number of gas stations included in one ormore merchant premises 101. The payment entities 160 can be locatedoffsite and are typical entities having equipment and payment networksfor processing payment transactions (e.g., computer equipment of anacquiring bank, issuing bank, processing entity, a VISA® paymentprocessing network, for example). In embodiments where the merchant is agrocer, the merchant premises 101 is likely a structure having the fuelpump 110 which is located proximate to the grocery store. For grocermerchants, the loyalty app server 130 can be located in the grocerystore, or alternatively, the loyalty app server 130 can be located atthe structure having the fuel pump 110.

When a customer arrives at the fuel pump 110 at a merchant premises 101,the customer must retrieve his/her payment card, exit the vehicle, andinteract with the fuel pump 110 to authorize the flow of fuel. The fuelpump 110 has a card reader 102 by which the customer can enter paymentinformation (e.g., insert or swipe of a credit card, debit card,merchant rewards/loyalty card, or a combination thereof; referred toherein as a “card”). Other payment recognition technology exists inaddition to or in place of the card reader 102, such as the key tag orother device intended to replace the card. However, conventional paymentrecognition technology depends on processing of information by systemcomponents at the merchant premises 101.

The fuel pump 110 also has a user interface such as a keypad/display ortouchscreen 104 which displays various commands for gathering customerinformation. For example, the fuel pump 110 can instruct a customer, viathe keypad/display or touchscreen 104, to swipe a card. The fuel pump110 then can ask for, again via keypad/display or touchscreen 104, anauthorization or a security code, such as a PIN number or zip codeassociated with the card. At various points in the data gathering steps,the fuel pump 110 can ask for loyalty/rewards input. For example, thefuel pump 110 via the keypad/display or touchscreen 104 can ask thecustomer to swipe a loyalty card in the card reader 102 or otherwiseinput information (e.g., a telephone number associated with a loyaltyaccount) via the keypad/display or touchscreen 104 which would identifythe customer as a member of the merchant's loyalty/rewards program. Thecustomer can enter loyalty/rewards information via the keypad/display ortouchscreen 104, or a customer may choose not to (e.g., not a member,forgot their loyalty/rewards information, does not have theirloyalty/rewards card to initiate identification as a loyalty/rewardsmember, etc.).

The labeled arrows in FIG. 1 show the fuel pump 110 interacts with thePOS controller 120 for a loyalty inquiry and a pre-authorizationrequest. Although, if a customer is not identified as a member of aloyalty/rewards program, then the fuel pump 110 does not interact withthe POS controller 120 for a loyalty inquiry. The POS controller 120typically is a single controller which is networked with each of thefuel pumps, including fuel pump 110, at the merchant premises 101.

If the fuel pump 110 receives loyalty/reward information from thecustomer, the fuel pump 110 sends a message containing theloyalty/reward information to the POS controller 120 as the loyaltyinquiry. The loyalty inquiry may also identify the pump numberassociated with the particular loyalty inquiry. The POS controller 120forwards the loyalty inquiry to the loyalty app server 130. The loyaltyapp server 130 is on-site with the POS controller 120 and fuel pump 110,either in the grocery store or at the structure having the fuel pump110. The loyalty app server 130 communicates with the master rewardsserver 150 to reconcile whether the loyalty information is associatedwith a loyalty account and if so, to determine the amount of availablerewards (e.g., in the form a discount on the price of the fuel) for thecustomer. The loyalty app server 130 then sends a message to the POScontroller 120 regarding any available rewards and verifying thecustomer is a loyalty/rewards customer, and the POS controller 120associates the message with the pump number and sends the messageregarding any available rewards and verifying the customer is aloyalty/rewards customer to the fuel pump 110.

For the pre-authorization request, the fuel pump 110 sends the paymentinformation received via customer input at the fuel pump 110 to the POScontroller 120. The POS controller 120 forwards the pre-authorizationrequest to the BASE24 payment switch 140. The BASE24 payment switch 140routes the pre-authorization through the appropriate payment network tothe appropriate payment entity 160 which can determine whether or not toauthorize the payment card/account, for payment of the fuel which willbe dispensed at the fuel pump 110.

If pre-authorization is confirmed, the appropriate payment entity of thepayment entities 160 sends a message containing a pre-authorizationconfirmation to the payment switch 140 which then sends the message tothe POS controller 120, which subsequently sends the message to the fuelpump 110. In response to a pre-authorization confirmation message, thefuel pump 110 can instruct the customer via keypad/display ortouchscreen 104 to select a fuel grade and remove the nozzle from thenozzle holder of the fuel pump 110.

If pre-authorization is not confirmed, the appropriate payment entity ofthe payment entities 160 sends a message containing a transactioncancellation to the switch 140 which then sends the message to the POScontroller 120, which subsequently sends the message to the fuel pump110. In response to a transaction cancellation message, the fuel pump110 then can indicate via the keypad/display or touchscreen 104 thetransaction is canceled (e.g., problem with the card, the security code,or the fuel pump 110).

Except for the communications of the loyalty app server 130 with themaster rewards server 150, and for the communications of the paymentswitch 140 with the payment entities 160, the fueling method up to thispoint takes place on site at the merchant premises 101. The fuel pump110 and the other pumps at the merchant premises 101 are typicallyserially connected for communication with the loyalty app server 130 andpayment switch 140 via the POS controller 120 such that only one messageis transmitted at a time. This creates network congestion because duringheavy use of the merchant premises 101 there may be at any point in timemultiple messages from multiple fuel pumps in need of transmission. Theserial connection allows messages to be transmitted and received onlyserially, i.e., one at a time, and during high traffic periods with manymessages, the send/receive time slows like a bottleneck in automobiletraffic when cars at rush hour need to pass through a one lane road inboth directions.

After pre-authorization, a customer refuels a vehicle with the chosenfuel grade or type. The time period for physically fueling depends onpump speed, the amount of static head in the fuel reservoir, customeractions, etc.

After the vehicle is refueled, the customer replaces the fuel nozzle onthe fuel pump 110. The fuel pump 110 determines fueling is complete, andprompts the customer via the keypad/display or touchscreen 104 whether areceipt is desired, yes or no, Y/N. In some instances, the fuel pump 110does not prompt the customer and automatically prints a receipt. If thecustomer indicates a receipt is wanted, e.g., via a “yes” button, or ifthe fuel pump 110 automatically prints a receipt, the fuel pump 110prints the receipt indicating the total price paid for the fuel. If noreceipt is indicated, the fuel pump 110 may not print a receipt. In someinstances, the fuel pump 110, via the keypad/display or touchscreen 104,instructs the customer to “see the cashier” for a receipt.

After the fuel pump 110 determines fueling is complete, the amount to becharged to the customer is sent as a message for payment completion tothe POS controller 120. The POS controller 120 forwards the message tothe payment switch 140, which then communicates the message of paymentcompletion to the payment entities 160 for payment reconciliationaccording to known techniques. The POS controller 120 records the saleand writes the sale data to the loyalty app server 130.

FIG. 2 illustrates the inventive system 200 for fueling a vehicle, andthe inventive methods associated therewith. Conventional componentsremain in the system 200, for example, the fuel pump 110, the POScontroller 120, and the loyalty app server 130. Conventional paymententities 160 are also utilized for backend payment processing. Theinventive system 200 uses other components, namely, a beacon 202 inproximity of the fuel pump 110 to communicate with a device 204 of acustomer, a pump controller 206, an on-site computer 208, a cloudcomputing system (e.g., having one or more of a loyalty cloud 210, abeacon cloud 212, a fuel application cloud 214), a gateway 220, and apayment provider 230. The scope of system 200 in this disclosure caninclude any combination of the components 110, 120, 130, 160, 202, 204,210, 212, 214, 220, and 230 shown in FIG. 2. The pump controller 206 canbe the second pump controller on-site for a given pump, since legacyhardware can include the original pump controller in the existing fuelpump 110. In embodiments, the pump controller 206 is placed internallyof the fuel pump 110; alternatively, on-site at the merchant premises101 external of the fuel pump 110. The on-site computer 208 is inaddition to any computing devices already present on-site at themerchant premises 101 before modification to accommodate the fuelingapplication disclosed herein; alternatively, existing computer devicescan be loaded with software functionality for the on-site computer 208.

Components of the system 200 which are on-site at the merchant premises101 (indicated by the dashed line) are the fuel pump 110, the beacon202, the pump controller 206, the on-site computer 208, the POScontroller 120, and the loyalty app server 130. It is contemplated thatthe system 200 includes a dedicated beacon 202 for each fuel pump 110 atthe merchant premises 101.

The components of the system 200 are linked or networked with at leastone other component as shown in FIG. 2: the beacon 202 is networked tothe device 204 of the customer; the device 204 is additionally networkedwith the loyalty cloud 210, the beacon cloud 212, and the fuelapplication cloud 214; the loyalty cloud 210 is additionally networkedwith the loyalty app server 130 and the fuel application cloud 214; thefuel application cloud 214 is additionally networked with the gateway220 and the payment provider 230; the payment provider 230 isadditionally networked with the payment entities 160; the gateway 220 isadditionally networked with the on-site computer 208; the on-sitecomputer 208 is additionally networked with the pump controller 206 andthe POS controller 120; the POS controller 120 is additionally networkedwith the loyalty app server 130; and the pump controller 206 isadditionally networked with the fuel pump 110. Each of the components110, 120, 130, 160, 202, 204, 210, 212, 214, 220, and 230 shown in FIG.2 can be embodied with computer equipment such as one or moreprocessors, memory, networking cards, and other equipment for processingdata (e.g., sending/receiving messages containing data) associated withfueling vehicles at the merchant premises 101.

Regarding network communication technology, the loyalty app server 130can be networked with the Loyalty cloud computing system 210 via asecure internet connection and with the POS controller 120 via a wiredintranet connection. The on-site computer 208 can be networked to thefuel pump 110 via serial network connection. The on-site computer 208can additionally be networked with the POS controller 120 via a wiredintranet connection.

The system 200 communicates with a device 204 of a customer to achievethe various benefits of this disclosure. The device 204 has short rangecommunication technology, such as Bluetooth or Near Field Communication(NFC), to communicate with the beacon 202. In an embodiment, the beacon202 and the device 204 have the same short range communicationtechnology. The device 204 can be capable of storing and running aone-touch fueling authorization application. The one-touch fuelingauthorization application can be downloaded to the device 204 and canrun in the background of the device 204 for use when fueling a vehicleat the merchant premises 101 utilizing the system 200. For customerinteraction with the application, the device 204 can have a display 205.

The one-touch fueling authorization application can give the device 204the necessary functionality to communicate with the beacon 202 and oneor more of the clouds 210, 212, and 214. Clouds 210, 212, and 214 can becollectively referred to as a cloud computing system.

Prior to fueling, the customer can establish a customer profile with themerchant, for example, using the one-touch fueling authorizationapplication running on the device 204. The customer profile can includea login (username, password), and any other information such as phonenumber, street address, email address, an amount of rewards/pointsearned, an amount of rewards/points redeemed, information associatedwith a card (e.g., credit card or debit card) of the customer, or acombination thereof. The customer can indicate the preferred paymentcard/account for fueling, such as GOOGLE PAY®, APPLE PAY®, VISA®,MASTERCARD®, DISCOVER®, AMERICAN EXPRESS®, etc. Payment information foreach payment card/account is entered one time into the application, forexample, card number, zip code, PIN code, expiration date orcombinations thereof. The customer can also indicate in the applicationthe method by which to receive a receipt, e.g., via email, text, orpaper at the merchant premises 101.

The device 204 can send the customer profile to the loyalty cloud 210,where the customer profile can be stored in the customer profile storage211 on the loyalty cloud 210. Additionally or alternatively, thecustomer profile can be stored in a memory of the device 204. It iscontemplated that all or a portion of the customer profile can be syncedbetween the device 204 and the loyalty cloud 210 so that customerinformation is updated in both locations, in real time.

In an embodiment, the customer is already a loyalty member of themerchant and can have previously established a loyalty account and canhave previously been assigned a customer identifier by the merchant. Thecustomer identifier can be a multi-digit (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, or 12 digits) number, for example. It is contemplated thatthe customer identifier can be any identifier known in the art forpurposes of identifying the customer for the purposes disclosed herein.The application can cause the device 204 to prompt the customer to entera customer identifier (e.g., via the display 205 of the device 204, viaaudible input with a microphone, via face recognition, retina scan,fingerprint recognition, or a combination thereof). This can occur atany point, e.g., before input of customer profile information, afterinput of customer profile information, during input of customer profileinformation.

In the case where the customer has not yet become a loyalty member ofthe merchant of the merchant premises 101, the application on the device204 can send a customer identifier request message requesting a newcustomer identifier to the loyalty cloud 210. In response to thisrequest message, the loyalty cloud 210 can create a loyalty account forthe customer profile, create a customer identifier which is unique tothe customer for the loyalty account, and can send the customeridentifier to the device 204.

In either case, the application on the device 204 can associate thecustomer profile with the customer's customer identifier; alternatively,this can be performed by the loyalty cloud 210; alternatively, both theapplication on the device 204 and the loyalty cloud 210 can associatethe customer profile with the customer identifier.

After receiving the payment information, a token will be created by thepayment provider 230, and will be stored in the customer device 204. Thetoken digitally represents the unique combination of a paymentcard/account and the device 204. Thus, only using the token with theauthorized device 204 will result in authorization of fueling with theone-touch fueling authorization application. A token can be created foreach payment card/account, by doing this customer payment number will beprotected from any exploitation. The token can be communicated to thefuel application cloud 214, and the fuel application cloud 214 cantransmit the token to the payment provider 230 for storage in a memorythereof. As is discussed in more detail below, storage of the token bythe payment provider 230 and in the device 204 allows the device 204 tosend the token in an authorization message while allowing verificationthat the token stored by the payment provider 230 and the token storedin the device 204 is the same, by determining the token received fromthe device 204 and the stored token are the same and that both tokensassociate the same payment card/account with the device 204.

The beacon 202 is a directional signal device associated to theparticular fuel pump 110. The association of the beacon 202 with thefuel pump 110 can be made at the beacon 202; or alternatively, theassociation can be made in the beacon cloud 212 (described below). Eachbeacon in the merchant premises 101 is associated with only one fuelpump; thus, the system 200 can include one dedicated beacon for everyfuel pump at the merchant premises 101.

When a customer arrives at the fuel pump 110 at the merchant premises101 (presumably in their vehicle), the application running on the device204 can sense the beacon 202. Alternatively, a push notification can besent when the device 204 comes with range of the beacon 202 and in thedirection of the beacon signal. Before sensing or sending of the pushnotification, the beacon 202 and the device 204 can connect/pair via theshort range communication technology. After pairing, the device 204 canobtain the number or other identifier for the fuel pump 110 from thebeacon 202. Alternatively, the device 204 can obtain an identifierrelated to the beacon 202, and the beacon identifier can be associatedwith the fuel pump 110 in the beacon cloud 212.

The application on the device 204 then causes the device 204 tocommunicate with clouds 210, 212, and 214, as described below. Thedevice 204 can use a network, such as cellular, mobile, or satellitenetworks for mobile device communications to communicate with theloyalty cloud 210, the beacon cloud 212, the fuel application cloud 214,or a combination thereof. The networks used for communication betweenthe device 204 and the clouds 210, 212, and 214 can include GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code-division multiple access(CDMA), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Evolution-Data Optimized(EV-DO), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), etc.

While clouds 210, 212, and 214 are shown in FIG. 2 as separate clouds,it is contemplated that any combination of clouds 210, 212, and 214 canbe embodied on cloud-based networks, servers, storage, applications,services, or combinations thereof at a single location or at multiplelocations. It is further contemplated that any of clouds 210, 212, and214 can be distributed among networks, servers, storage, applications,services, or combinations thereof at multiple locations.

The device, 204, running the one-touch fueling authorizationapplication, can send the number or other identifier for the fuel pump110, the beacon 202, or both, previously received from the beacon 202,to the beacon cloud 212. The beacon cloud 212 can determine the numberof the fuel pump 110 associated with the beacon 202, and can optionallyadditionally determine the location or identifier of the merchantpremises 101. The identification of the location via the fuel pump 110and/or the merchant premises 101 can be referred to herein asdetermining the micro-location of the device 204. The beacon cloud 212then can send a message containing micro-location information to theapplication running on the device 204. The micro-location informationcan include a pump identifier (e.g., the pump number) for the fuel pump110, and optionally the identifier for the merchant premises 101. Theapplication on the device 204 can use the micro-location informationwhen communicating with the fuel application cloud 214.

As discussed above, it is contemplated the application can prompt thecustomer on the device 204 to enter a customer identifier, such as aloyalty card number or a photo of a loyalty card, prior to sending theauthorization message. Alternatively, it is contemplated that theapplication running on the device 204 can have the customer identifier(previously having been entered to setup or login to the application)stored on the device 204.

The disclosed system 200 and method implemented therein uses the device204 to communicate with the fuel application cloud 214 for loyaltyinquiry, authorization for fueling, fuel status, and receipts.

The application can cause the device 204 to communicate a singleauthorization message to the fuel application cloud 214. Theauthorization message can contain information similar to the loyaltyinquiry and the authorization inquiry discussed for the conventionalsystem 100.

The application can cause the device 204 to send the customer identifierin the authorization message to the fuel application cloud 214. The fuelapplication cloud 214 can store (at least temporarily) the customeridentifier for subsequent use to identify and validate the identity ofthe customer for payment completion after fueling is complete, as isdiscussed below.

The fuel application cloud 214 can use the customer identifier toconfirm the customer has a loyalty account registered in the merchant'sloyalty cloud 210, e.g., stored in the rewards hub 213. Theauthorization message from the device 204 to the fuel application cloud214 can also request any reward/discount available to the customer(e.g., a discount associated with the customer identifier) for fuelingthe vehicle. The fuel application cloud 214 can send a messagecontaining the customer identifier to the loyalty cloud 210 regardingthe loyalty inquiry. The loyalty cloud 210 can determine, using therewards hub 213, whether or not the customer has any reward/discountavailable for fueling. The loyalty cloud 210 then can send a message tothe fuel application cloud 214 containing any discount available forfueling which is associated with the customer identifier, or a messagethat indicates no discount is available.

In an embodiment, the fuel application cloud 214 can send a message tothe device 204 regarding the discount. The application on the device 204can indicate to the customer on the display 205 of the device 204 thediscount available and prompt the customer whether to use the discountor not. The customer can select, via one or more actual and/or virtualbuttons on the display 205 of the device 204 whether to use thereward/discount. The selection is communicated from the device 204 tothe fuel application cloud 214. In another embodiment, the fuelapplication cloud 214 does not ask the customer whether a discount is tobe applied, and automatically associates a discount with the fueling.

The authorization message from the device 204 to the fuel applicationcloud 214 can also contain the micro-location information obtained fromthe beacon cloud 212, the token for payment, and the preferred methodfor receiving a receipt.

In response to receipt of the authorization message, the fuelapplication cloud 214 then can communicate a pre-authorization messageto the payment provider 230 for pre-authorization of payment. Thepre-authorization message can contain the token received from thecustomer device 204. The payment provider 230 then can determine thetoken received from the fuel application cloud 214 matches the tokenwhich is stored by the payment provider 230. The payment provider thencan create and send a pre-authorization message to the appropriatepayment entity of the payment entities 160 associated with the paymentcard/account which is digitally represented by the token. Thepre-authorization message can contain information for the appropriatepayment card/account which is recognizable by the payment provider 230.The payment provider 230 then can send the pre-authorization message tothe appropriate payment entity of the payment entities 160 associatedwith the payment card/account. The payment entity of the paymententities 160 then can determine whether or not to authorize the paymentcard/account, for payment of the fuel which will be dispensed at thefuel pump 110.

If pre-authorization is confirmed, the payment entity of the paymententities 160 can send a pre-authorization confirmation messagecontaining a pre-authorization confirmation to the payment provider 230,which then sends the message to the fuel application cloud 214. The fuelapplication cloud 214 subsequently can send a fuel authorization requestmessage to the gateway 220. The fuel authorization request message cancontain the customer identifier, the micro-location informationregarding the particular merchant premises 101 and identity of the fuelpump 110 from which fuel should be dispensed, along with anauthorization to pump fuel at the fuel pump 110. The gateway 220 candetermine that the merchant premises 101 is the intended recipient ofthe fuel authorization, and subsequently can forward the fuelauthorization request message to the on-site computer 208 at themerchant premises 101.

In response to receiving the fuel authorization request message, thefuel pump 110 can pump fuel. To do this, the on-site computer 208 at themerchant premises 101 can analyze the micro-location information andauthorization contained in the fuel authorization request message, andconsequently can instruct the pump controller 206 to activate thespecific fuel pump 110 where the customer is located. The pumpcontroller 206 can then activate the fuel pump 110 to pump fuel. In anembodiment, the fuel pump 110 can instruct the customer viakeypad/display or touchscreen 104 (or other input buttons) to select afuel grade and/or fuel type, and remove the nozzle from the nozzleholder of the fuel pump 110. In another embodiment, the fuel gradeand/or fuel type is received in the fuel authorization request messageand transmitted to the pump 110 by the pump controller 206, and the pump110 can then automatically pump the received fuel type and/or grade. Theon-site computer 208 can use the customer identifier for subsequentcommunication with the POS controller 120 and gateway 220, as describedbelow.

If pre-authorization is not confirmed, the payment entity of the paymententities 160 can send a cancellation message to cancel the transactionto the fuel application cloud 214, and the cancellation message then canbe sent through the chain of the gateway 220, the on-site computer 208,the pump controller 206, and the fuel pump 110. In response to atransaction cancellation message, the fuel pump 110 then can indicatevia the keypad/display or touchscreen 104 the transaction is canceled(e.g., due to a problem with the card, the security code, etc.).

After fueling, the customer can return the fuel nozzle to the nozzleholder. The pump controller 206 can determine that fueling is completeat the fuel pump 110 and can send a fuel status message to the on-sitecomputer 208. The fuel status message indicates that fueling iscomplete. The on-site computer 208 can receive the fuel status message,and then can use the customer identifier previously received from thegateway 220 in the fuel authorization request message to create a fuelstatus/receipt message. In this aspect, the on-site computer 208 canstore, at least temporarily, the micro-location information and/orcustomer identifier associated with the fuel authorization for later usewith the fuel status/receipt message. The fuel status/receipt messagecan include the micro-location information, the customer identifier, theamount owed for the dispensed fuel (e.g., calculated accounting for anydiscount available to the customer), and a digital receipt containingthe same information as a paper receipt. The on-site computer 208 thencan send the fuel status/receipt message to the gateway 220, and thegateway then can send the fuel status/receipt message to the fuelapplication cloud 214.

The fuel application cloud 214 can analyze the fuel status/receiptmessage. For example, the fuel application cloud 214 can use thecustomer identifier and/or the micro-location information contained inthe fuel status/receipt message to determine which customer should payfor the fueling. In this aspect, the fuel application cloud 214 canpreviously have associated the customer identifier with themicro-location information, and can previously have stored informationrepresentative of the association for use when the customer identifierand/or micro-location information is received in the fuel status/receiptmessage from the gateway 220. The fuel application cloud 214, afteranalysis of the fuel status/receipt message, can determine the fuelstatus is complete (i.e., the customer has completed refueling thevehicle) and then can send a payment completion message to the paymentprovider 230. The payment completion message can include the tokeninitially received from the device 204 or some other informationrepresentative of the customer's payment card/account. The paymentcompletion message can also include instruction that payment completionshould proceed and instruction of the actual payment due (in contrast toa pre-authorized amount) for the fueling. The payment provider 230 thencan send the payment completion message requesting payment completion tothe payment entities 160 for payment reconciliation according to knowntechniques.

The fuel application cloud 214 can additionally use the customeridentifier and/or the micro-location information contained in the fuelstatus/receipt message to determine which customer to send the digitalreceipt. The fuel application cloud 214, after analysis of the fuelstatus/receipt message, can identify which customer should receive thereceipt based on the customer identifier. In this aspect, the fuelapplication cloud 214 can have previously stored (at least temporarily)the preferred method for receiving a receipt containing theauthorization message received by the fuel application cloud 214 fromthe device 204. The fuel application cloud 214 can identify thecustomer's preferred method, if any for receiving the digital receiptcontained in the fuel status/receipt message. The fuel application cloud214 then can send the digital receipt to the customer, if a receipt isdesired, for example, to the customer's email address, to the customer'sdevice 204 via the application, to the customer's device 204 via textmessage, or a combination thereof.

The customer's receiving of the receipt can be a suitable notificationthat the transaction for fueling is complete. Additionally oralternatively, the application running on the device 204 of the customercan activate a notification that the transaction is complete.

The on-site computer 208 can create a fuel status/rewards message andcan send it to the POS controller 120. Recall that the on-site computer208 receives the customer identifier and micro-location information forthe customer in the fuel authorization request message from the gateway220, and the on-site computer 208 receives the fuel status in the fuelstatus message received from the pump controller 206. The on-sitecomputer 208 can associate the customer identifier, micro-locationinformation, and the fuel status to create a fuel status/rewardsmessage. The fuel status/rewards message created by the on-site computer208 can include the customer identifier, along with the micro-locationinformation, the amount owed for the dispensed fuel (e.g., calculatedaccounting for any discount available to the customer), and any rewardsavailable to and/or used by the customer for the fueling.

The on-site computer 208 can send the fuel status/rewards message to thePOS controller 120. The POS controller 120 can record the sale and canwrite the sale data to the loyalty app server 130. The loyalty appserver 130 can send a rewards message to the loyalty cloud 210. Therewards message can contain information regarding any rewards availableto and/or used by the customer for the fueling. The loyalty cloud 210can receive and process the rewards message to credit and/or debitrewards for the appropriate loyalty account according to the customeridentifier in the message using the rewards hub 213. The loyalty appserver 130 and the rewards hub 213 on the loyalty cloud 210 areconfigured to sync in real time.

It is contemplated that the conventional system 100 can be retrofittedwith the components of the disclosed system 200 such that a customer canfuel and pay for fuel by a traditional method or by the disclosedmethod. That is, the fuel pump 110 can be equipped with a keypad/displayand/or touchscreen 104 and card reader 102 and the component networkingto accept traditional payment, and the display 204 can also accommodatefor any communications at the fuel pump 110 necessary for the disclosedone-touch fueling authorization application. If a customer chooses touse the conventional method of using the card reader 102, the fuel pump110 in FIG. 2 can communicate a pre-authorization request and anyloyalty inquiry directly to the POS controller 120 as described for theconventional system 100 in FIG. 1. The flow of communication betweencomponents can be the same as FIG. 1 and is not repeated here.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are screenshots from a customer's device 204,illustrating the fueling method from the customer's perspective.

In FIG. 3, the display 205 of the device 204 shows the cover screen ofthe application. The customer can access the application by swiping thedisplay 205. It is contemplated other access protocol unique to thetype/brand of the device 204 can be used to access the application. Thiscover screen is an optional feature of the application, and it iscontemplated the application can automatically open to the screen shownin FIG. 4.

In FIG. 4, the push notification from the beacon 202 is displayed on thedevice 204. As can be seen in the display 205 of the device 204, thepump number (“Pump #4”) is indicated in the push notification and otheroptional location specific info such as name/address of the merchantpremises 101. It also contemplated that an available discount canadditionally be displayed in the push notification. Alternatively, aseparate screen can be used to notify the customer of the availablediscount for the fueling. It is further contemplated that an entry fieldfor entry of the customer's customer identifier can also be displayed inthe push notification. Alternatively, a separate screen can be used toreceive input for the customer identifier; or alternatively, the system200 can also have the customer identifier stored (e.g., on the device204, the fuel application cloud 214, the loyalty cloud 210) such thatthe customer does not have to enter the customer identifier each timefueling is desired.

In FIG. 4, a virtual button labeled “Choose this Pump” is displayed. Thecustomer can select the pump for fueling by touching the display 205 inthe area of the virtual button. The authorization message as discussedabove then can be sent from the device 204 to the fuel application cloud214 for subsequent processing according to the technique(s) disclosedherein in reference to FIG. 2.

In FIG. 5, the receipt is shown in the display 205 of the device 204. Anoptional feature of the disclosure is a virtual button labeled “SaveReceipt” in this screen for the customer to decide to save the receipt.It is contemplated that the receipt additionally or alternatively can beautomatically sent to the customer according to preferences entered bythe customer when creating the customer profile in the application. Forexample, in addition to or in the alternative to the virtual button inFIG. 5, a receipt can be texted, emailed, recorded to the device via theapplication, or a combination thereof without need for the customer toselect to save the receipt for each fueling.

Additional Description

Embodiment 1 is a method for fueling at a gas station, comprising:

receiving, by a cloud computing system, an authorization message forfueling a vehicle from a device of a customer, wherein the authorizationmessage contains a customer identifier unique to the customer, a paymenttoken unique to a payment card or a payment account of the customer andunique to the device, a gas station identifier, and a fuel pumpidentifier;

sending, by the cloud computing system, a pre-authorization message to apayment provider, wherein the pre-authorization message contains thepayment token;

receiving, by the cloud computing system, a pre-authorizationconfirmation message from the payment provider, wherein thepre-authorization confirmation contains an authorization to use thepayment card or the payment account of the customer for payment of thefueling;

sending, by the cloud computing system, a fuel authorization requestmessage to an on-site computer at the gas station via a gateway, whereinthe fuel authorization request message contains the customer identifier,the gas station identifier, the fuel pump identifier, and anauthorization to pump fuel at a fuel pump at the gas stationcorresponding to the pump identifier; and

in response to receiving the fuel authorization request message, pumpingfuel at the fuel pump.

Embodiment 2 is the method of Embodiment 1, wherein pumping fuel at thefuel pump comprises:

sending, by the on-site computer, the fuel authorization request messageto a pump controller; and

authorizing, by the pump controller, the fuel pump at the gas station topump fuel at the fuel pump corresponding with the pump identifier.

Embodiment 3 is the method of Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the fuelauthorization request message further contains a request for a receipt.

Embodiment 4 is the method of any of Embodiments 1 to 3, furtherincluding determining, by the cloud computing system prior to sendingthe fuel authorization request message, a discount to a price forfueling the vehicle which is unique to the customer identifier, whereinthe fuel authorization request message further includes the discount forthe price for fueling the vehicle.

Embodiment 5 is the method of any of Embodiments 1 to 4, furthercomprising:

sending, by a beacon device, a beacon identifier, the fuel pumpidentifier, or both to the device of the customer, wherein the devicenotifies the customer of the fuel pump identifier;

receiving, by a beacon cloud of the cloud computing system, the beaconidentifier, the fuel pump identifier, or both from the device of thecustomer;

associating, by the beacon cloud of the cloud computing system, thebeacon identifier, the fuel pump identifier, or both with the gasstation identifier; and

sending, by the beacon cloud of the cloud computing system, the fuelpump identifier and the gas station identifier to the device of thecustomer.

Embodiment 6 is the method of any of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein thegateway is part of the cloud computing system.

Embodiment 7 is the method of any of Embodiments 1 to 6, furthercomprising:

receiving, by the cloud computing system, a fuel status/receipt messagefrom the on-site computer via the gateway; wherein the fuelstatus/receipt message includes the customer identifier, an amount owedfor the dispensed fuel, the gas station identifier, the fuel pumpidentifier, and a digital receipt.

Embodiment 8 is the method of Embodiment 7, further comprising:

in response to receiving the fuel status/receipt message, sending, bythe cloud computing system, a payment completion message to the paymentprovider, wherein the payment completion message includes the amountowed for the dispensed fuel.

Embodiment 9 is the method of Embodiment 7, further comprising:

in response to receiving the fuel status/receipt message, sending, bythe cloud computing system, a digital receipt to the device of thecustomer.

Embodiment 10 is the method of any of Embodiments 1 to 9, wherein thecloud computing system comprises a loyalty cloud and a fuel applicationcloud.

Embodiment 11 is the method of Embodiment 10, wherein the loyalty cloudand the fuel application cloud are separate clouds.

Embodiment 12 is the method of Embodiment 10, wherein the authorizationmessage containing the customer identifier is received by the fuelapplication cloud from the device of the customer, the method furthercomprising:

receiving, by the loyalty cloud, the customer identifier from the fuelapplication cloud;

determining, by the loyalty cloud, a discount to a price for fueling thevehicle; and

sending, by the loyalty cloud, the discount to the fuel applicationcloud.

Embodiment 13 is the method of Embodiment 10, wherein the fuelapplication cloud performs the steps of receiving an authorizationmessage, sending a pre-authorization message to a payment provider,receiving a pre-authorization confirmation message, and sending a fuelauthorization request message to the on-site computer via the gateway.

Embodiment 14 is the method of any of Embodiments 1 to 13, wherein thecloud computing system is networked with the device of the customer viaa cellular communication network, a mobile communication network, asatellite communication network, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 15 is the method of Embodiment 14, wherein the gateway isnetworked with the on-site computer via a secure internet connection.

Embodiment 16 is the method of any of Embodiments 1 to 15, wherein theon-site computer is networked with a POS controller, and wherein the POScontroller is additionally networked with a loyalty app server.

Embodiment 17 is the method of Embodiment 16, further comprising:

sending, by the on-site computer, a fuel status/rewards message to thePOS controller;

sending, by the POS controller, the fuel status/rewards message to theloyalty app server; and

sending, by the loyalty app server, a rewards message to the cloudcomputing system.

Embodiment 18 is the method of Embodiment 17, wherein the loyalty appserver is networked with the cloud computing system via a secureinternet connection, wherein the loyalty app server is networked withthe POS controller via a first intranet connection, wherein the on-sitecomputer is networked to the fuel pump via a second intranet connection,wherein the on-site computer and the POS controller are networked via athird intranet connection.

Embodiment 19 is a cloud-assisted fueling system comprising:

a cloud computing system;

wherein the cloud computing system is networked to an on-site computerlocated at a gas station via a gateway,

wherein the cloud computing system is configured to:

-   -   receive an authorization message for fueling a vehicle from a        device of a customer, wherein the authorization message contains        a customer identifier unique to the customer, a payment token        unique to a payment card or a payment account of the customer        and unique to the device, a gas station identifier, and a fuel        pump identifier;    -   send a pre-authorization message to a payment provider, wherein        the pre-authorization message contains the payment token;    -   receive a pre-authorization confirmation message from the        payment provider, wherein the pre-authorization confirmation        contains an authorization to use the payment card or the payment        account of the customer for payment of the fueling; and    -   send a fuel authorization request message to the on-site        computer via the gateway, wherein the fuel authorization request        message contains the customer identifier, the gas station        identifier, the fuel pump identifier, and an authorization to        pump fuel at a fuel pump corresponding to the pump identifier.

Embodiment 20 is the system of Embodiment 19, further comprising one ormore of: the gas station comprising the fuel pump, a beacon device inproximity of the fuel pump, an on-site computer which controls the fuelpump via a pump controller, and a loyalty app server networked with theon-site computer via a POS controller.

Embodiment 21 is the system of Embodiment 20, optionally one or more of:

wherein in response to receiving the fuel authorization request message,the fuel pump pumps fuel via instruction received from the on-sitecomputer via the pump controller;

wherein the beacon is configured to send a beacon identifier, the fuelpump identifier, or both to the device of the customer;

wherein the cloud computing system receives the beacon identifier, thefuel pump identifier, or both from the device of the customer;

wherein the a beacon cloud of the cloud computing system associates thebeacon identifier, the fuel pump identifier, or both with the gasstation identifier;

wherein the beacon cloud of the cloud computing system sends the fuelpump identifier and the gas station identifier to the device of thecustomer; and

wherein the device displays the fuel pump identifier on a display of thedevice.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure,it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may beembodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spiritor scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is notto be limited to the details given herein. For example, the variouselements or components may be combined or integrated in another systemor certain features may be omitted or not implemented.

Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described andillustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may becombined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, ormethods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating witheach other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through someinterface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically,mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions,and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could bemade without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for fueling at a gas station,comprising: receiving, by a cloud computing system, an authorizationmessage for fueling a vehicle from a device of a customer, wherein theauthorization message contains a customer identifier unique to thecustomer, a payment token unique to a payment card or a payment accountof the customer and unique to the device, a gas station identifier, anda fuel pump identifier; sending, by the cloud computing system, apre-authorization message to a payment provider, wherein thepre-authorization message contains the payment token; receiving, by thecloud computing system, a pre-authorization confirmation message fromthe payment provider, wherein the pre-authorization confirmation messagecontains an authorization to use the payment card or the payment accountof the customer for payment of the fueling; sending, by the cloudcomputing system, a fuel authorization request message to an on-sitecomputer at the gas station via a gateway, wherein the fuelauthorization request message contains the customer identifier, the gasstation identifier, the fuel pump identifier, and an authorization topump fuel at a fuel pump at the gas station corresponding to the fuelpump identifier; and in response to receiving the fuel authorizationrequest message, pumping fuel at the fuel pump.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein pumping fuel at the fuel pump comprises: sending, by theon-site computer, the fuel authorization request message to a pumpcontroller; and authorizing, by the pump controller, the fuel pump atthe gas station to pump fuel at the fuel pump corresponding with thefuel pump identifier.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuelauthorization request message further contains a request for a receipt.4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the cloudcomputing system prior to sending the fuel authorization requestmessage, a discount to a price for fueling the vehicle which is uniqueto the customer identifier, wherein the fuel authorization requestmessage further includes the discount for the price for fueling thevehicle.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending, by abeacon device, a beacon identifier, the fuel pump identifier, or both tothe device of the customer, wherein the device notifies the customer ofthe fuel pump identifier; receiving, by a beacon cloud of the cloudcomputing system, the beacon identifier, the fuel pump identifier, orboth from the device of the customer; associating, by the beacon cloudof the cloud computing system, the beacon identifier, the fuel pumpidentifier, or both with the gas station identifier; and sending, by thebeacon cloud of the cloud computing system, the fuel pump identifier andthe gas station identifier to the device of the customer.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the gateway is part of the cloud computing system.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the cloudcomputing system, a fuel status/receipt message from the on-sitecomputer via the gateway; wherein the fuel status/receipt messageincludes the customer identifier, an amount owed for dispensed fuel, thegas station identifier, the fuel pump identifier, and a digital receipt.8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: in response to receivingthe fuel status/receipt message, sending, by the cloud computing system,a payment completion message to the payment provider, wherein thepayment completion message includes the amount owed for the dispensedfuel.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: in response toreceiving the fuel status/receipt message, sending, by the cloudcomputing system, a digital receipt to the device of the customer. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud computing system comprises aloyalty cloud and a fuel application cloud.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the loyalty cloud and the fuel application cloud are separateclouds.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the authorization messagecontaining the customer identifier is received by the fuel applicationcloud from the device of the customer, the method further comprising:receiving, by the loyalty cloud, the customer identifier from the fuelapplication cloud; determining, by the loyalty cloud, a discount to aprice for fueling the vehicle; and sending, by the loyalty cloud, thediscount to the fuel application cloud.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein the cloud computing system is networked with the device of thecustomer via a cellular communication network, a mobile communicationnetwork, a satellite communication network, or a combination thereof.14. The method of claim 13, wherein the gateway is networked with theon-site computer via a secure internet connection.
 15. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the on-site computer is networked with a POScontroller, and wherein the POS controller is additionally networkedwith a loyalty app server.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising: sending, by the on-site computer, a fuel status/rewardsmessage to the POS controller; sending, by the POS controller, the fuelstatus/rewards message to the loyalty app server; and sending, by theloyalty app server, a rewards message to the cloud computing system. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the loyalty app server is networked withthe cloud computing system via a secure internet connection, wherein theloyalty app server is networked with the POS controller via a firstintranet connection, wherein the on-site computer is networked to thefuel pump via a second intranet connection, wherein the on-site computerand the POS controller are networked via a third intranet connection.18. A cloud-assisted fueling system comprising: a cloud computingsystem; wherein the cloud computing system is networked to an on-sitecomputer located at a gas station via a gateway, wherein the cloudcomputing system is configured to: receive an authorization message forfueling a vehicle from a device of a customer, wherein the authorizationmessage contains a customer identifier unique to the customer, a paymenttoken unique to a payment card or a payment account of the customer andunique to the device, a gas station identifier, and a fuel pumpidentifier; send a pre-authorization message to a payment provider,wherein the pre-authorization message contains the payment token;receive a pre-authorization confirmation message from the paymentprovider, wherein the pre-authorization confirmation message contains anauthorization to use the payment card or the payment account of thecustomer for payment of the fueling; and send a fuel authorizationrequest message to the on-site computer via the gateway, wherein thefuel authorization request message contains the customer identifier, thegas station identifier, the fuel pump identifier, and an authorizationto pump fuel at a fuel pump corresponding to the fuel pump identifier.19. The system of claim 18, further comprising: the gas stationcomprising the fuel pump, a beacon device in proximity of the fuel pump,an on-site computer which controls the fuel pump via a pump controller,and a loyalty app server networked with the on-site computer via a POScontroller; wherein in response to receiving the fuel authorizationrequest message, the fuel pump pumps fuel via instruction received fromthe on-site computer via the pump controller; wherein the beacon deviceis configured to send a beacon identifier, the fuel pump identifier, orboth to the device of the customer; wherein the cloud computing systemreceives the beacon identifier, the fuel pump identifier, or both fromthe device of the customer; wherein a beacon cloud of the cloudcomputing system associates the beacon identifier, the fuel pumpidentifier, or both with the gas station identifier; wherein the beaconcloud of the cloud computing system sends the fuel pump identifier andthe gas station identifier to the device of the customer; and whereinthe device displays the fuel pump identifier on a display of the device.